Stuck
by RushiAei
Summary: She loves him, and she wants nothing else. It doesn't matter if she has everything she could dream of, or if she has nothing but the dirt at her feet. With him by her side, she is content. Which is a good thing because with him by her side, she can't have her ramen and eat it too. For Fanofthisfiction's Summer Show Me the Love Proposals Challenge.


"Mmarudo-chum…. mmvwhat are you jooing?"

"Hold still. Just _ooone mooore_... There! Gotcha!" a giddy voice sounded. "You're seriously so photogenic, Hinata."

Naruto scrutinized the digital camera's screen with wide eyes and an exuberant smile before flipping it over to share with her. The pride that radiated from him was so great, it was practically tangible, as if he was the artist responsible for exactly how Hinata turned out on camera.

Hinata's eyes widened the moment she caught a glimpse. Hurrying to swallow, she shook her head. "Pho..._photogenic_?"

Apparently Naruto was convinced that a picture of the Hyūga—mouth full and bulging with fruit, eyebrows lifted, and head tilted slightly to the side—was the epitome of glam-edged photography.

"Heeyy, don't be so humble. Hands down, this is your best photo yet!" Snickering at her mild scowl, Naruto relented. "Alright, alright, I'll delete it. But for now, lemme just take a few more... "

Hinata played with the grass that poked out through the checkered blanket they sat atop as she watched Naruto squint into the viewfinder. He twisted his torso this way and that at every possible angle to capture every existing thing around him—moving and unmoving.

Ever since they'd officially started dating, Naruto had picked up photography as a hobby, and his love for it only seemed to grow with every passing day. Never had she seen him anywhere near a camera for as long as she'd known him. But after the Hanabi rescue mission and battle against Toneri Otsutsuki nearly three months ago, things had changed in more areas than just their relationship.

_'Grabbin' little pieces of passing moments; it's just so...underrated, ya know?'_ had been the answer Hinata received when she asked about the sudden interest.

It was an unexpected thing, but she understood. Nothing in the future was certain. The battle they'd just gone through on the moon, along with Naruto's camera decision reminded her of that fact.

She knew that every moment in life was precious just as well as she knew Naruto was full of surprises.

One of those 'surprises' being what he'd packed for their picnic.

Despite her efforts to ignore it, Hinata once again found herself staring down at the food (or the lack thereof) that had been strewn around the now empty picnic basket.

As delectable as they'd been—a miniature apple for each of them, one banana and a small bushel of grapes to share—it left Hinata wanting more to fill her stomach, considering she'd skipped breakfast beforehand. Naruto seemed oblivious to the problem. When he first suggested they have a picnic, he'd insisted on packing all the food, wanting Hinata to rest up as much as possible since she'd been getting over a fever.

When her stomach continued gurgling quietly in protest, Hinata looked again at the preoccupied Naruto. It seemed like only yesterday they'd been on a three man squad mission as genin with Kiba and she'd packed some food for him. Back then, in his eagerness to start on the mission, Naruto hadn't seen it as a picnic but instead, a waste of time. They'd both grown so much since then.

It didn't matter if she had an abundance of food and personal belongings, or if they were living in the streets together, uncertain of where their next meal would come from. In this moment of tranquility, with the steady breeze and the soft clicking of his camera, Hinata was certain with him by her side, she was truly lacking nothing.

After several more minutes passed by with the two in conversation, picture-taking and photo-gazing, it was inevitable that Hinata felt the threat of her stomach preparing for another growl. So she casually reached into the basket she knew was void of food just to see if she could trick her mind into thinking she was about to eat.

Instead her fingers caught something else.

She pulled them out to reveal several markers.

She recognized the design and a sense of nostalgia hit her. "These are the same brand of markers Hanabi always used growing up."

She recalled all the times her little sister would draw her doodles marked with all the colors of the rainbow. The pictures had often been of them either sparring, playing with dolls, or throwing miniature parties for just the two of them; it was the three things they'd done together most.

"Heh, oh yeah, I forgot about those," Naruto chuckled a bit sheepishly. "I bought those a while ago to label food, but found out the ink doesn't stay on the stupid plastic wrap I use for picnics very well. Just never got around to switching them out for permanent markers."

Hinata nodded but suppressed a laugh. Hanabi had always used the markers for paper while Naruto used them for food-labeling, and all the while the markers were actually made for something completely different; Hinata remembered the packaging had always said so. It looked like Hanabi wasn't the only one who overlooked labels.

Smiling, she gently took Naruto's arm. "Let me show you how you're supposed to use them."

Seconds passed in silence as Naruto watched Hinata spread bright blue ink against the canvas of his forearm. The blue stuck out against his skin rather vibrantly. She continued a little longer with the blue before replacing it with a silver color.

It was soon apparent that she was drawing an eye. A single eye that looked shockingly similar to Naruto's own. It stared back at him, looking as though it would blink to life at any moment.

Naruto whistled."Woah...I didn't know you were a tattoo artist, Hinata."

When his only response was a steadfastly focused look on her face, Naruto reached for a neon orange marker that was closest to him. "But I guess you should know I've got even better skill!"

A hand made contact with her back right near her shoulder blade where the strap of her sundress was inches away. Soon the marker was digging into that area of skin.

"Hmm, now what to draw..." Naruto said as he began his work. "Hey and try to be still, okay?"

"You too." Hinata caught Naruto's rising arm and giggled at his subconscious attempt to use the arm she was drawing on to better draw on her. He flashed her an apologetic grin and she smiled again, turning her head back around to continue. "We'll see who's the best."

* * *

As they continued, the sky grew dim and steadily so as dusty clouds formed in clusters overhead. Hinata glanced up at the sky, brows furrowed. Surely she'd double-checked the forecast and had seen no signs of any bad weather. She refocused on the drawing for longer but soon felt a raindrop shortly before thunder erupted.

"Um, Naruto-kun? I think it might..."

And rain fell. Pour is the better word. It was suddenly pouring with such intensity, Hinata felt as though the droplets were rubbing sharp knuckles against her skull. Within moments the rain picked up until it was hard to see anything clearly.

Naruto yelped, grabbed the trash around them, and Hinata took the markers and basket. He balled the blanket up and grabbed her hand. "C'mon!"

They ran down the hill they'd been on, jumped through trees, and within minutes they were once again in the bustling streets of Konoha. Other villagers, too, were scrambling to find shelter and save their neatly pressed summer clothes.

Hinara shielded her eyes to look up at Naruto since they'd suddenly come to a stop in the middle of a street. "Where should we go?"

Naruto seemed to falter before finally tugging her arm to the left. "Uuh...this way!"

They continued running and before anything more could be said, they'd ducked under the plastic entrance of a familiar tent; otherwise known as Naruto Uzumaki's second home.

"_Naruto_, my boy! And if it isn't Hinata!" the manager and head cook, Teuchi, cried as soon as the flickering lights of Ichiraku Ramen hit their faces. "Whatever the reason you came, rain or hunger, or...whatever, doesn't matter! What a lovely surprise. Been a couple weeks now, hasn't it!"

"Yeah I guess it has—heh...I've...jus' been so busy, ya know," Naruto said as he ran a hand through his soaking hair.

"Ah, excuses, excuses, ya stranger," Teuchi said.

"Well…" Hinata trailed, the shop's aroma causing her stomach to reboot its complaints, "I'll take some ramen, thank you, Teuchi. " She bowed as she caught her breath.

Deciding her stomach's next growl was one of thanks to her, the Hyūga slid herself into one of the front booth seats. Realizing the seat next to her remained vacant, she glanced back to see Naruto shuffling about, looking oddly out of place, almost…?

Before she could open her mouth, the blond slowly moved and sat down beside her, glancing at the chalk menu to their left.

"Alright! We'll order today's special, on me."

Teuchi gave Naruto a thumbs up and disappeared into the kitchen.

Once they were alone Naruto turned to Hinata, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, and by the way, 'm sorry about the food. I guess I got too excited about the picnic and completely forgot to pack the main event. I'm an idiot, huh? Total moron, heheh..."

The Hyūga shook her head quickly. "No, o-of course not! Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun. I—"

"But still, you must be starving! Well, it's cominn'—just you wait!"

With barely noticeable, but still unsteady hands, Naruto began fiddling around with the buttons of his camera, twisting the lens, and clicking it on and off with such vigor, Hinata became concerned.

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?"

"H-huh? Yeah, I'm fine!" Breaking eye contact, Naruto focused again on his camera screen, suddenly perking up. "...On the bright side, it's a good thing this thing is waterproof, ya know? No destroyed photos, alright!"

Hinata gave a smile that made the skin around her eyes crinkle. She laid her head on his shoulder and stared past the wet, midnight strands that fell into her eyes. Her smile fell when she saw Naruto's arm. The blue and silver ink that made up her unfinished tattoo was now a blotchy blob of smeared ink, some of which had latched onto her fingers. She was genuinely disappointed by it's durability. "It...smudged so easily..."

"Eh?" Naruto's face twisted into a pout, but he shrugged. Hinata lifted her head from his shoulder when he suddenly twisted to brush her hair away from her shoulders. He inspected it dramatically, first peering from a distance and then so close that the Hyūga could feel him breathing on the skin.

"What is it?"

"What do ya know? Your hair pretty much saved my masterpiece! Or maybe I just chose a better color?" Hinata swore she saw Naruto's chest puff out by a few inches but when she turned to view him in full, the only thing that had changed was his expression, which now held a proud, cheesy grin, accompanied by a slightly glowing face.

Hinata placed a palm on his forehead. "Naruto-kun, you feel really warm. Are you sure you're okay?"

"What do you mean? Just a little humid in here. " Naruto's hand cupped the one on his forehead and he slid their hands down to the table.

Due to the rapid wind and the water that clung to her, Hinata felt more of a chill than anything, but Naruto's face only seemed to be steadily warming up. Her concern grew but before she could say anything a steaming bowl of ramen was in front of her.

"Eat up, enjoy, and hurry so you can get outta my shop. We're closing a little early tonight," said Teuchi with a wink before ducking back into the kitchen.

"Thanks, old man."

During the past two months the two had been together, they'd gone on many ramen dates; they'd even had eating contests, all of which Hinata won. Because of this, both of them knew each other's favorite ramen orders like the back of their hand. And when Hinata looked down at her bowl, she realized it was her signature order. When she glanced at Naruto's bowl she saw he had the same thing.

"Naruto-kun, I thought you ordered the... " she trailed off and caught eye of the menu board all to see that there was nothing written under the Specials menu for the day. "...Special? "

Naruto had a confused look."Whatdoya mean? It's pretty special to me."

Hinata mirrored his expression. One thing Naruto had always made clear was that her favorite order of ramen was not his. Yet there they sat.

No matter how intently she eyed the two dishes that were embedded with chopsticks ready to eat, there was nothing different about them.

She turned her bowl in circles and even as Naruto dug in, she plucked up a noodle with her pointer finger and carefully ate it. It tasted the same as always and her stomach grumbled with glee. She smiled at Naruto's strange taste bud preference change and brought her chopsticks up for more, wondering what was so—

She choked on a squeak that died in her throat. Her chopsticks—a few loose noodles and all— flew from her trembling hand.

Her mouth remained agape as the cause of her shock became airborne as well. It sparkled like a mini, falling disco ball. Flipped and turned and fell until it landed into the palm of Naruto's hand.

"This moment's what's special."

The Hyūga's wide gaze latched onto Naruto. His voice was low as he stood from his seat. "Hinata, hear me out... I wasn't planning to do this until a week from today...but I told old man Teuchi that next time I brought you here, it meant I was ready." A bark of nervous laughter followed. "But I guess mother nature told me to stop being a baby and get on with it already, ya know? S-so... "

All Hinata could _see_ was his almost tentative but steady, blue stare; the depth of its intensity was one she hadn't quite seen before, even after the countless passionate stares he'd given many over the years.

All she could _feel_ was the blood from her pounding heart rushing and beating fiercely through every vein within, streaming wildly against her ears.

She struggled to snap out of her dizzy state. But as her battle to remain at the forefront of her mind continued, Naruto began lowering himself to the ground.

"Hinata... I—"

And she snapped out of it just enough to get her weak legs to break into a run.

She didn't know where she was running. There was no one else around and the rain nearly blinded her as it collided with her face. All she knew was what had just happened, and her mind was still attempting to process whether or not she was simply imagining things.

"Hinata! Hinata, wait!"

It happened. It was happening, and she wasn't sure what was happening, but she was _pretty sure what was happening_, and she was fighting to breathe properly, and she was struggling to refrain from fainting, and... and he was legitimately chasing her.

"Hinata! Hinata, come back! Hinat—_AAAHH_!"

Hinata halted in her tracks, whirling around the moment she heard a curse followed by a thunderous smack to see Naruto several yards away from her, face down in a large puddle of mud. The pouring rain didn't let up and was steady assaulting the fallen form.

Hinata stumbled to his side, muddy hands slipping and struggling at first to turn him over. "N... Naruto-kun?"

His eyes shot open; like blue beams, they lit up his completely brown and dripping face. "Is... is my camera broken?" he rasped.

Glancing down at the camera that was strung around his neck, caked in clumps of the slimy soil, Hinata handled it cautiously. She wiped the lens and snapped a picture of the first thing she could. The flash hit Naruto's face and served as enough confirmation, so she sat the camera down.

"It's...it's fine," she mumbled. Guilt consumed her immediately and her entire face was soon aflame. "Naruto-kun... I'm so sorry. I... I was j-just a little overwhelmed, a-and I—"

"I love you, Hinata."

Like a chain reaction, the Hyūga's muscles tensed on their own. She forced them to settle. She'd heard those words come from his mouth multiple times now, but the impact it had was always the same; those three words were like invisible bullets slipping right through her being to latch around her heart, causing it to tingle and accelerate.

_Naruto-kun_

Naruto sat up so they were eye to eye.

"Hinata, please listen," he said. "I love you. I love your bravery. I love your courage. Your humility, and gentle strength, it's the best. I...I love your insanely kind spirit and your loyalty... I love your laugh, and I love how beautiful you are, even when you cry, ya know?" He sat up even more, fighting against the stubborn mud attempting to keep him down. His clay-caked hands found hers.

"...I love how you always put up with me—no matter how stupid I am." Naruto glanced down at the camera that bumped against his chest and grinned. "I love this picnic picture of you...and I love your blushy face." His smile turned a bit playful, but the serious depth of his shining eyes remained.

"I love how you loved me in the beginning, back when no one else around did. Heck, even when I didn't have a clue you did. You did," he shook his head. "All this freakin' time."

Reaching into his pocket, he then unfurled his fist. The ring shimmered strikingly through the wall of rain and darkness around them. Two sets of eyes met and locked once more, but this time, Hinata stared into...watery ones.

"Now it's my turn. Let me start loving you like I should. For the rest of my life."

Hinata recalled the first time she saw him like it was yesterday. That day he'd stood up for her—a stranger amongst bullies—and took the bullet with fighting arms. That day admiration was birthed within her. And as time passed, that admiration developed and blossomed into something deeper, all at such a tender age.

For years she grew alongside him from a distance and hoped that one day he would see something in her that was perhaps at least half as amazing as what she always saw in him. Her certainty of one fact had only gotten stronger with every passing year: Naruto was the one she wanted to do the rest of her life with.

Hinata softly placed her palm over his. The moment the cool metal encircled the skin of a delicate finger, a burst of warmth erupted within her, spreading rapidly throughout her entire body like the rising of a hidden sun, and she was grinning so much it almost ached, brimming with inexplicable, radiant joy.

"Just...one request," the Hyūga finally managed to find her voice as she took the camera from Naruto's chest. The second she found the one and only picture taken by her, she couldn't contain the laughter that spilled from her lips. Eyes full of mirth, she showed Naruto the picture which turned out to be of his mud-covered and alarmed face. "We make this the cover photo of our wedding invites?" she giggled.

Naruto cheesed so wide it could have gotten stuck. He shook the camera to rid it of more mud.

"It's a good thing this thing is water proof then, huh?"

Hinata pushed the camera out of his hands, throwing her arms around his neck, and closing the distance between them until their faces were mere inches apart. With her heart leaping with incomparable joy, never did she think that staring into her fiance's sparkling eyes would cause salty raindrops to form in her own.

"Yes," she whispered. _Yes. A million times, and forever... yes. _

Naruto responded by dirtying her lips.

* * *

That night Hinata watched the remains of the mud swirl down her shower drain before wrapping a towel around herself and stepping out. Her humming quieted as she neared the bathroom sink. Atop the counter sat her tiny diamond ring.

She slipped it on and stared at it directly before slowly swiveling her hand around to look at it through the reflection of the mirror. Memories of Naruto slipping it on mere hours ago caused butterflies to flap about within her stomach and up into her chest.

She resumed by twirling her wet hair into a separate towel before turning to leave.

She had her hand on the bathroom light switch when a bright orange in the mirror caught her eye. She turned her head a little more to get a better view of the ink she'd never seen and had completely forgotten about right by her shoulder blade. She was taken aback by the fact that the markings were now only slightly faded but still completely eligible. Her eyes widened at the vibrantly colored words sprawled there surrounded by doodles of smiley faces with their tongues sticking out. It read:

_Stuck with me :P_


End file.
